The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan Reviews
While there are a few notable flaws, Man of Medan encapsulates the thrills and scares of the horror genre while offering numerous branching choices for the narrative. It's the perfect way to set the tone for the rest of The Dark Pictures Anthology series.
Although Man of Medan isn't exactly scary, its Co-op mode provides a nice twist to the experience besides the replayability presented by the alternative scenarios and it shows some potential to do better in the next episode.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
A great game held back by numerous technical problems. The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan promises another great experience in the vein of Until Dawn, but at least on the standard console is too stuttery to play. Much of the content will be inaccessible due to these performance issues. If you have an enhanced console definitely check it out, but unless it receives a patch it can scarcely be considered playable.
While the story didn’t live up to expectations, the actors’ performances are fantastic as Man of Medan delivers its quota of horror tropes in chapter one of The Dark Pictures Anthology.
Supermassive Game's high concept - an anthology of horror stories - is off to a great start with Man of Medan. We don't get nearly enough horror that aims to be thoughtful like this. The challenge will be to make sure that each game in the series is different enough to reflect a different approach to horror, but things are off to a good start.
Man of Medan is a great first entry in what looks to be a very engaging and spooky anthology series. I loved it’s spooky setting, it’s environmental storytelling and the vastly different ways it’s story could play out. Whether you choose to play it alone or with others, you’re in for a really fun and tight horror experience. I’m really looking forward to what’s to come in The Dark Pictures anthology.
The uninteresting story has plenty of dull moments, but isn't enough to kill the thrill of trying to keep all of the characters alive, especially when played with friends
At its best Man of Medan delivers a confident and well crafted horror experience with a genuinely clever two player mode. But it's unbalanced pacing has a little too much opening filler and an unsatisfying conclusion.
Men of Medan promises a story about ghosts but the only ghost on the ship is the system of choiches and consequences, flat and shallow, "un-supported" by an unstable framerate and by command system that feels old and intricate. What saves this debut from failure is the atmosphere and the possibilities about future episodes.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I enjoyed this one, and if Supermassive Games continue on trend, I’m optimistic for the rest of the series.
A good but not great beginning for an Anthology series that sets the basics for its horror proposal, but still has to refine its gameplay to be as fun as its story.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Just like Until Dawn before it, Man of Medan is a knowingly schlocky and incredibly fun horror movie in video game form, tailor-made to bridge the gap between those two mediums. It's never truly terrifying, but always edge-of-your-seat thrilling right through to what can be quite an abrupt ending. As jarring as that may be, it's a great way for Supermassive to leave players wanting more and ultimately keen to check out additional short-form, budget-priced entries in the intriguing Dark Pictures Anthology.
Until Dawn follow-up Man of Medan has amazing ideas in the cooperative space but collapses under the weights of performance issues.
Man of Medan builds on the solid foundation of Until Dawn. The decisions you make actively alter your experience, meaning you'll want to replay it over and over.
Despite how negative I may have seemed there, I do genuinely want The Dark Pictures Anthology to continue and succeed (the game even seems to tease the next entry in it, seemingly already in the works), as I loved Until Dawn and would love to see more similar experiences from Supermassive. But despite having the same solid mechanics as its big brother, Man of Medan starts the anthology off on a thoroughly "meh" note, thanks its unimpressive, poorly-constructed story.
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan is a solid beginning to what I hope becomes a memorable selection of virtual horror outings. The setting here didn't do much for me if I'm perfectly honest, but the memorable characters, razor sharp pacing and well-placed scares make it excellent fun with a few friends by your side.
Supermassive's Dark Pictures anthology gets off to a promising start, but this first nautical instalment winds up a little too promptly.
The first game of The Dark Pictures Anthology is a step backward for the genre. The game needs a re-work especially in the structure of QTE and choices, but at this price and with multiplayer modes the overall value is good.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While Man of Medan has a decent horror story, a number of technical problems and inconsistencies derail the experience. It's best to wait for a patch or two before purchasing.
Mad of Medan looks and sounds gorgeous, but it's spoiled by some technical issues and, depending on your choices, characters doing stupid things just so the plot can continue, both of which break the flow of what could have been a decent horror story. It's an excellent night or two's entertainment with a bunch of mates in a dark room and plenty of beer, though playing by yourself or online with a chum is an altogether more muted experience. This is a fair start to The Dark Pictures Anthology.